


There Should Be A Refuge

by GuardianKarenTerrier



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: AU, Banished Vikings, Disowned, Disownment, Gen, Team as Family, new start, runaways - Freeform, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-14
Updated: 2016-04-14
Packaged: 2018-06-02 04:12:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6550294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuardianKarenTerrier/pseuds/GuardianKarenTerrier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They may have defeated the Red Death, but Hiccup has already been disowned, and Vikings- and their Chiefs- are not known for going back on their words. Especially when they've been roared in front of the whole tribe. Barely healed, Hiccup has no real choice- he renounces Toothless, or he leaves, banished from his home and tribe. </p>
<p>He... really didn't expect to have a tribe of his own following him off into his banishment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There Should Be A Refuge

**Author's Note:**

> For the record here, I don't think Stoic would actually go through with this. I think he'd place being Hiccup's father over being chief. But then I wouldn't get to write this, would I?

 

“You didn’t have to come, you know.”

“Of course I did.”

Hiccup jerked his head back towards the rest of their flock, following at a barely-respectful distance. “Fine, _they_ didn’t have to come.”

“Hiccup, you gave us _dragons_ ,” Astrid said patiently, patting Stormfly’s neck. “Why would you ever think we’d follow anyone else after that?”

“I didn’t _give_ you dragons, I asked them and they agreed to have you,” Hiccup griped, before wincing as his leg rubbed the wrong way. At least they’d sent him off with a prosthetic, even if it was bare bones (thankfully not literally) and Gobber had given him enough supplies from the smithy for him to make any adjustments he wanted. _After_ they found someplace to land and stay for a bit.

They’d seen nothing but ocean for a long time now. If his leg was going to act up, they’d have to settle for the next bit of land they saw, at least temporarily.

Astrid saw his wince and wheeled Stormfly away, conferring with Fishlegs in a low voice before her dragon darted back. Toothless snapped half-heartedly as the wash from her wings rocked him. “We’re coming up on a coast. Legs and the twins are going ahead to scout for a good place to make camp.” She very carefully did _not_ look at his leg.

Honestly, as much as he hated to admit it, even he knew he still should have been in bed, healing. No matter how well-padded Gobber had made sure both stump and prosthetic were, this was long before Hiccup should have been trying to get around. He didn’t know what in Hel’s name he’d have done _without_ Gobber’s intervention- he was still a little stunned, and definitely touched, that Gobber had cared enough about his apprentice to fight for the supplies and time he _had_ gotten. He hadn’t realized Gobber had gotten anywhere near that attached, even when he considered that he’d spent far more time in the smithy than he had in his own home ever since he’d been apprenticed.

Even so, he was still in bad shape and he knew it. Was trying to hide it, of course, because that was just what Vikings _did_ , but he was spending nearly all his time on Toothless for a reason. He still couldn’t walk very well and frankly, it hurt to try.  He knew he’d get the hang of it- it just would have been nice to able to do so in a more familiar environment.

It wasn’t long before the twins came back, Barf and Belch pulling as close to Toothless as they could. “We found a place,” Ruffnut called. “It’s a castle!”

“It’s what’s _left_ of a castle, squirrelbrain,” Tuffnut said, punching his sister. “But it’s got most of its walls and floor, and it even has most of a roof left.”

“Left on the _floor_ , you mean,” Ruff scoffed, “But he’s right, it _is_ there.”

“We haven’t got any better prospects, so I guess that’s where we’re going,” Hiccup sighed, signaling Toothless to bank. It hurt, but not too badly. He’d made adjustments so they could fly, but he hadn’t had time yet to streamline them, and every time he and Toothless maneuvered he seemed to discover new aches.

‘What’s left of a castle’ was an understatement. The twins had found a heap of rubble that had been a castle at some point in its existence, probably. It was a _large_ heap of rubble, though, which meant more than enough raw material for Hiccup to get started on actual homes for them all, and it was perched comfortably on the edge of a cliff. The dragons liked that because it made it easier to get into the air; the kids liked it because they were just used to ocean cliffs.

It also seemed to be constantly filled with mist and fog, which for six outcast teenagers with large fire-breathing lizards tagging after them was definitely a bonus.

Out of deference, which was something he would _never_ get used to, Hiccup got to claim whatever spot he wanted first. He ended up closest to the cliff, the others scattered about below them, and though initially they’d only planned to stay for a few days it wasn’t even that long before the rubble was being reformed into (admittedly tumble-down) houses. They were even built to accommodate their respective dragons. It wasn’t like there was anyone to tell them they couldn’t, after all.

It was the second week or so when Hiccup woke to enraged shouting. One of the voices was Astrid, but he didn’t recognize the other one. Leaping onto Toothless- the dragon had taken to insisting on sleeping with the saddle on, since Hiccup got around so much better with his help- he raced out to see what was going on.

“Wot are ye doin’ in _my_ kingdom!” a redhaired girl was roaring, hauling on the reins of a very spooked horse and waving a bow threateningly.  

“ _Your_ kingdom?” Snotlout scoffed, looking around pointedly. “I didn’t see a sign. Far as I see, it was up for grabs.”

“Yeah,” Ruffnut snickered, Belch snorting agreement behind her. “We saw it, it’s _our_ rubble heap now.”

Hiccup reached the altercation and slid off Toothless, keeping a steadying hand on the dragon’s side. “We’re- _I’m_ sorry. We needed somewhere to stay and this didn’t exactly look like anyone had a prior claim on it.”

The redhead’s eyes widened at Toothless. “Ye brought dragons! Here! Dragons!”

“Not sure how you missed Barf and Belch behind Ruff there, but yes, we did,” Hiccup said firmly, placing a hand on Toothless’ snout. “And you can see for yourself they’re friendly. Haven’t eaten any of us after all, although Snotlout would probably taste terrible.”

“Hey!”

“So we didn’t know the land had anyone here already. We _need_ a place to stay, and you can guess for yourself how difficult having a herd of dragons with you makes that,” Hiccup continued, relentless. “So, we _are_ staying, this is too perfect a location to pass up, but what do you want in return?”

“In return?” the girl asked, eyes still fixed on Toothless.

“Yeah, in return,” Astrid said, stepping up beside Hiccup. “We stay here, we show you how to- something, I don’t know. Can’t show you much about our dragons, you don’t have any, but you can see ours I guess? And maybe you can teach me how to use that,” she nodded towards the bow. “I’m Astrid. This is our chief, Hiccup.”

“I’m not the chief,” Hiccup protested. “I’m just- the dragon trainer.”

“We all have dragons and we followed you, Hiccup,” Astrid pointed out. “He’s chief.”

“Merida,” the girl said at last. “And if ye show me how some of these strange weapons of yers work, and how ye can throw an axe like that, I’d be more than happy to let ye stay.”

“Yesss!” Snotlout cheered. Enthused, Hookfang lit himself on fire. “No! Hookfang, no! Hiccup, my house is going to need to be rebuilt again…”

Hiccup rolled his eyes at Merida and shouted, “Don’t use wood this time!”

Merida started laughing. “I think I do like ye.”


End file.
